Writing Tips and Tricks

As part of the 2004 London Book Fair, Minette taught a Masterclass in Crime Writing. Along with fellow crime author Mark Billingham, she shared her wit and wisdom with an enthusiastic crowd of aspiring writers. Here are a few writing and style tips gleaned from the transcription of the day's discussions:

Adverbs

Get rid of them whenever possible, especially after "said". If the words your character says aren't dramatic, using "she said dramatically" won't help.

Getting Started

I always ask: What's the motive? I take a very simple idea - i.e., miscarriage of justice - and go from there. For example, in The Sculptress, I drew on my experience as a prison visitor and asked: What happens when a very unattractive person tells you they're innocent? You have to make a leap of faith. So, first step: central idea. Second step: Central character.

First Person vs. Third Person

I prefer to write in third person. I think it's easier and you can move from place to place with greater ease. Writing in first person is incredibly limiting, since all the action has to take place from that one person's point of view.

Branding

Don't be afraid of it. Booksellers want a book they can easily classify. In publishing, branding is a very good thing and it gives you a place in the pantheon of literature.

Originality

While fitting your work into a particular branding category (crime thriller, mystery, etc.) is good, you can still choose a less obvious route within the book itself. Then you'll be considered an original writer and stand a better chance of getting published.

Dead Ends

Don't be afraid to go down cul-de-sacs. Let characters take you places but if it doesn't work, be ruthless and tear it up or hit delete. As long as my characters are coming off the page because they're real, they can move the story forward.

Biographies

I don't tend to give my characters detailed biographies or put in a lot of descriptions about them. However, I do put in detailed descriptions of houses because I feel the house someone lives in says an awful lot about them. Characters are not affected materially by way they look - unless it's someone like Olive Martin - and a physical description really won't help a reader develop an understanding of your character.

Dialogue

My characters are primarily developed and explained through their dialogue. If you can't write dialogue, keep practicing! Just get them talking to each other. Have them ask each other simple questions: Where are you from? I'm from Sheffield. How long did you live there? Where did you go to school? As you make up these answers, your character will start to emerge.

For a full transcript of Minette and Mark's Masterclass, visit the BBC's Get Writing web site.

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